Subject code
AKL 3004
Subject group
C
Part of
specialized
studies
STUDY SUBJECT PROGRAMME
Credits
Subject
Subject
certified
certification valid
until
6 ECTS credits
(date)
(date)
Reg. No.
(No., as recorded
in a register of
study subjects).
Title
POEZIJOS TEORIJA
Title in English
THEORY OF POETRY
Subject annotation in English (up to 500 symbols)
The course introduces students to the major concepts and terms necessary for analyzing poetry (line,
rhyme, rhythm, meter, image, metaphor, the speaker, context, etc.). The variety of poems discussed during
the course (from the sonnet, elegy, ballad, dramatic monologue to the Japanese haiku and contemporary
experimental poems) allows students to understand diverse rules of versification used in different periods,
cultures and genres. Students get used to thinking critically and analytically as well as discussing poetic texts
independently. Much time is allowed for creating and translating poems of different genres and forms, as well
as for discussing students’ work.
Necessary background knowledge for the study of the subject
Study outcomes (up to 600 symbols)
Students will:
● get acquainted with the history of the development of major poetic genres;
● gain an understanding of how different literary movements and different cultural contexts influence
the poetic form;
● learn to choose suitable theoretical concepts and methods and apply them to their analyses of poems;
● get accustomed to using theoretical terms both orally and in writing, and to grounding their opinion;
● gain more linguistic competence in using English creatively.
Subject contents (up to 1200 symbols)
Introduction to a variety of poetic forms and themes. Introduction to the analysis of poetic texts. The
importance of the poetic form. Images. The haiku. Images in love poetry. Rhyme and rhythm. Poems for
children. The limerick. The function of syntax. Narrative poetry. Traditional and contemporary ballads. The
narrators. The dramatic monologue. Complex verse forms: the sonnet (Italian and English). Varieties of forms
and themes. Contemporary experiments with the sonnet. The theme of death in poetry. The elegy. Religious
poetry. Free verse. Visual poetry. Baroque shaped verse and contemporary experiments: concrete verse.
Issues in translating poetry. Poetry of ideas. New trends in English-language poetry today.
Study hours
Lectures – 45 hours
Seminars – 22,5 hours
Individual student assignments and seminars – 92,5 hours
Evaluation of study results
Midterm test – 30%
Individual assignments – 20%
Final exam - 50 %
Literature
Carper, T. ,Attridge, D. 2003. Metre and Meaning. Routledge
Murfin, R. and Ray, S. M. 2003. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. 2nd ed. Bedford St.
Martin‘s
Furniss, T. and Bath, M. 1996. Reading Poetry: An Introduction. Prentice Hall
Brogan, T. V. F. (ed). 1994. The New Princeton Handbook of Poetic Terms. Princeton UP
Ford, B., ed. 1966. The Pelican Guide to English Literature, vols. 1-7. Penguin
Programme prepared by
Prof. habil. dr. Milda Danytė, assist. Kristina Aurylaitė, Department of English Philology